


Devil's Wrath

by omgluciferlover



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Action, Chloe Decker Finds Out, Devil Face and Wings, Drama & Romance, F/M, Humor, Past Relationship(s), Redemption, Reveal, Revenge, Snakes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-07-04 04:06:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15833421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omgluciferlover/pseuds/omgluciferlover
Summary: ”Who is next my dearest Samael?“ - If the wrath of the Devil surges, one should better take cover. A story about how far Lucifer would go to save Chloe, who got caught between divine fronts.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lucifans and welcome to my very first Lucifer fanfiction!  
> Always a special thanks to my beta reader Shan!
> 
> Leave a comment or kudo, if you like my story, so I know how it’s going. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to let me know. 
> 
> Have fun!

* * *

"Lucifer…" said Mazikeen. Hell's most brutal torturer didn't dare raise her voice in this menacing silence, where only a slight whining penetrated the atmosphere. Caution held her back, and for a hell of a good reason… but her curiosity was stronger, and she approached him slowly.

How long had it been since she had seen him like that? Decades? Centuries? Marvelous. Such an unpredictable Devil. A small wicked smile settled on her face as she stopped for a second and stared in excitement.

Lucifer sat in a chair with his back to her, which he had placed in the middle of the room. The lights above him flickered and in the rhythm of that light, dark splashes of blood gleamed on his grey colored suit. His arms rested on his thighs and his eyes gazed at his palms.

An instant euphoria welled up in her and she walked closer as she realized he had been a bad, bad Devil. Oh, she loved him that way from the depths of her cold-blooded heart. Good old Lucifer was back. The smile turned into a big grin as she went around him.

Unfortunately, there was no more blood on him beside the splashes. Irritated, her glance moved to the huddled, whimpering, pitifully battered man at his feet. It seemed he had spared his life. What a shame. He hadn't been able to kill a human at all.

"Why didn't you let me know?" she was deeply offended and crossed her arms. "Having all this fun without me."

Instantly, Lucifer broke away from his thought-ridden stare, as if he had only become aware of her presence in this moment. He glared at her menacingly and she backed away, though she didn't want to. Her instincts to escape immediately were to blame.

She feared Lucifer, but nobody could condemn her for it. Seething rage and iron bitterness had devoured his devilish eyes. The angry inferno behind his iris was about to burst, seeping in to the black nothingness of his corrupted soul. Every single muscle was tense. He shuddered inwardly behind an ironclad façade and looked at her as if he wanted to kill her.

"Well, you had your fun. But more importantly, what have you done?" Maze tried to retain her composure and waved in the direction of the open swing doors in front of them.

Lucifer was silent. He leaned back and reached with one hand into the inside pocket of his suit to grab the pack of cigarettes. Ignited solely by pressing the stub on the back of his hand, the cigarette only took one powerful breath before it completely turned to ashes between his thumb and forefinger.

Finally, he aspirated "She was here. She was _here_ , and I was too late!"

His façade shattered, as did the chair which he tossed into the wall with inhuman force. He hadn't been able to hold his anger anymore. There he stood now with clenched fists, a growling beast swelling in his chest, while he tried desperately to bury the ancient monster again.

"Wait, are these tears in your eyes?" This astonished Mazikeen.

"Clean up!" he commanded at once and turned away from her, so that she couldn't judge his out of control emotions any further.

"You can't call me like a little charwoman cleaning up every mess you produce so carelessly!" she protested angrily.

"Don't speak to me like that Maze or I will rip you apart!" His warning was no empty threat. "Just do as I say and complain later."

She couldn't believe how this human Detective had affected him gravely. That he went this far just for her. However, there was no time to hesitate. "Oh, hell no. Don't leave me here alone with your filthy mess. We'll do this together, Lucifer. I am the most suitable hunter out there to find your precious little human," she demanded fiercely. No way he left her behind again. "Don't be an imbecile."

"Fine" he replied with a spitting tone. "I'm waiting outside." With hurried steps, he walked past Maze and didn't even pay her any more attention.

Maze snorted sourly, but she let him go and turned to the chaos he had left behind. She killed the lunatic in front of her with a clean cut to the throat, walked through the open swinging doors and entered a devastated room with eight or nine awfully injured, dead men lying everywhere around a poker table. She immediately realized that all these men had mangled themselves with all the things they had at hand. Well, this special kind of influence on humans was an ugly secret of his. Lucifer's gift not only drew out their deepest and darkest desires but also brought their corrupted lustful souls to light as he dug deeper into their minds.

"Looks can kill… literally," she hissed softly and made her way through the battlefield to the very last survivor of this little war. He shivered in a corner, bathed in blood. The cruel madness had seized him. Dead, torn eyes and a destroyed sanity. He was beyond saving.

Maze crouched down and raised the weapon that was still in the hands of another dead man. One shot solved the second problem. Then she lit them all up in Hellfire so there wouldn't be any trace left of the incident. With the flames spreading through every inch of the building, she immediately joined Lucifer, who held something up for her.

"I have to find her quickly and the only thing I have from her now is this blood-soaked scrap of her clothes" he explained. Maze nodded. Without looking back, they set out to find her.

**Somewhere else...**

"Why do I have to keep her in my lair?" the woman hissed to the shadows. "Let me kill her already."

"He fooled us both. We swore to destroy everything he holds dear, my love. What fun would that be, if he isn't even present…"


	2. A New Case to Start the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe Decker and Lucifer Morningstar have different point of views in their partnership. However, they both truly want to work together. For the sake of their partnership, they try to follow the important qualities of good teamwork: trust and relying on someone. It seems to fruit until Lucifer's warehouse comes up in a case and things change. To the better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3: warehouse is now below Chapter 2 because they work better in one chapter.

**Lucifer's apartment**

Sunbeams flooded the bedroom. Empty glasses, bottles, clothing, high heels and pillows were strewn all over the marble floor. A woman staggered out of the room toward the elevator, barefoot and carrying her clothes in her arms. The party was just about to end on a peaceful Thursday morning.

Lucifer sat up on his bed and yawned heartily, his conquests to the left and right of him still slept off their intoxication. Strange… the night had been wild. It was definitely more extreme than his last party, but he wasn't quite satisfied with all of it, and that disturbed him deeply. Lately there had been an uncomfortable feeling, a void that felt like it was spreading from his chest to the rest of his body. A void that he couldn't fill with whatever he usually did. This pervasive void troubled him whenever he was alone with his thoughts.

Maybe he needed something even more spectacular, with a greater thrill for distraction? New ideas… anything... He wouldn't allow that the only reason he felt this way was because of his burning desire for the only woman on the planet who gave him a challenge. The Detective was, truthfully, no ordinary woman.

Well, annoying things first. His damn supernatural metabolism had long ago eradicated all evidence of alcohol and drugs in his body. He pushed the woman to his left away and grabbed a bottle of wine from the floor.

At that moment, the elevator opened its doors and he heard quick, purposeful steps on the way to his chamber. Lucifer rolled his eyes and greeted his new guest with a cold-hearted undertone: "Maze." There she stood at his doorframe and watched him with a serious, meaningful expression.

"Bad news?" Lucifer guessed correctly and he obviously wasn't happy.

"Get out of here. We have to talk," ordered Maze with sharp words. What a Spoilsport. Lucifer didn't miss the chance to flirt with every woman and man for one last time as Maze quickly grew impatient and dragged him outside.

"Come on, Maze. Let me first freshen myself up," Lucifer said, emphasizing his spent appearance and freed himself from her grab. "You know, I'm full of sweat and fluids."

"Fine," surrendered Maze, because she couldn't stand his awful whining.

Of course, he let her wait longer than usual just because he could. Showering and dressing appropriately were of utmost importance after all, and this took some well-thought-out time. When he finally decided to go back to the lobby, Maze was sat on a bar stool. She had served herself a drink and raised her glass of scotch with a slight smile. Maze knew his silly games all too well and was unimpressed by his defiant behavior just because there where crucial things to discuss and he didn't like those talks.

"What is it that you could possibly want to tell me so urgently?" asked Lucifer, annoyed.

"You know what," she said. She gently pushed the package beside her and it landed directly in front of his feet. She folded her arms with a dead serious glare.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, but a second later he was sure about its contents without even opening it. "Let me guess," anticipated Lucifer and wrinkled his nose, "What is it this time? A finger? An ear? Our blackmailer's really quite unimaginative, don't you think?" An amused chuckle left his mouth.

"Lucifer, that's not funny" Maze replied, irked. "In this damn package are the remains of the mortician Neil Monroe. For five years, he gave you your identity and now he is dead. Coincidence? I bet not, because people are dying out there, who have important connections to _you_. Lucifer, this is the _fourth_ package. This blackmailer is mocking us!"

"Stop talking. Dispose of the package as always and it's done. That simple." Lucifer refused to take her seriously. "It's just a cry for attention. I mean, our hardworking blackmailer can't kill the whole of L.A. if he wants to kill off all of my connections." He smirked confidently.

"Somebody is after you and this is just the start, Lucifer!" she growled at him. "Give me the order and I'll finally hunt him down. Oh, please let me torture and kill him already," she said, enraged, but Lucifer interrupted her outburst immediately.

"Na, na, na, Mazie. Watch your tone," he lifted her chin gently and examined her beautiful face, which was full of anger and disbelief. "There is someone who wants my attention desperately. If I don't give him that said attention he will surely loose interest sooner or later. Besides, I have far more interesting things to do, like meeting the Detective today."

A snarl escaped through her clenched teeth. For one second, Lucifer believed that she would finally swallow her pride but well, she was a demon after all. "These are warnings," she hissed and pulled his hand down. "I can deal with it without you if you are too busy."

"Deal with my decision," he demanded now much more imperious. "Don't do anything rash without my permission." The king of Hell had spoken. At that moment, she just wanted to beat clarity into his head but his eyes went too deep under her skin. He waited for her next militant response but she backed away reverentially.

"Well. If this is all you wished to talk about, I'm going to go now," he ended her conversation and smiled proudly at her. "Work calls!"

"Work," Maze found her big mouth again and shuddered with disgust. "You run after her like a goopy pet."

"Jealousy don’t suit you," Lucifer remained calm as he left her and her silly statement behind, and headed straight to the elevator.

 

**The precinct**

"Good morning, Detective! What a lovely, carefree day, where nobody is going to get on someone's nerves," he shouted happily through the whole department as he went to her desk. "The best way to start the day is with a little brekkie! Here is a sandwich for you and a pudding for me."

"You're in an extremely good mood today," she greeted and took the sandwich, which he held up right in front of her face. "Thank you," she added politely. It seemed, she enjoyed that first bite far too much.

"You forgot to eat, didn't you?" he noticed with sharp eyes. He sat down on a chair and opened up his pudding. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Detective. You have an offspring, you should know that."

"Yeah, but it was a bit stressful this morning," Chloe replied. "Don't worry. I had two cups of coffee and I'm feeling ready."

"Ready for a new case?" said Lucifer in excitement, leaning towards her file to sneak a peek.

" _I've_ got a case, actually." She nodded but her relaxed facial features changed and she hid the file. "But first of all, I have a bone to pick with you before I let you on another case of mine."

"Why do all the women in my life want to talk to me today?" he frowned sarcastically.

"Well, this woman wants to clarify that you won't leave her hanging next time, because, I quote: "Bingo at a retirement home was less boring than this case" is that correct?" she scolded him.

"Oh come on, Detective. If the cause of death is stupidity, it is boring," Lucifer justified himself without being aware of his guilt. "I need a good gun fight or a hot, good-looking model killed by her jealous friend-zoned childhood friend. That's thrilling and what I want! Not a murder that wasn't a murder but a death by someone's own clumsiness."

Lucifer left Chloe stunned by his words and she slowly shook her head. "So, that's what you want?"

"Exactly," he agreed.

"Shocker, Lucifer, but you have to play under my rules if you want to continue to help me out with my cases. Don't leave me ever again or this… odd… partnership is gone," she effortlessly destroyed his point of view.

"You can't treat me like your pet," her harsh words upset him.

"I don't treat you like that," irritated by his words, she sighed and wanted to make it absolutely clear. "Listen, Lucifer. You are my partner and I accept you as my partner. However, a partnership is about trust and relying on someone. So, please take this seriously. Look, the last case looked like a murder. We on the other hand have to do something called police work, even when it's false alarm at the end. As simple as the case is, we still have to solve it. I hope you understand me."

"All right," said Lucifer in a subdued tone and sent an apologizing signal. "However, can you perhaps choose the good cases in the future?"

He raised a soft smile on her face. "I'll try. It's not that I ultimately like such cases either," she admitted.

"Ha!" Her confession felt like a tiny victory and he smirked confidently. Chloe rolled her eyes but didn't go into it any further because she got what she had intended. "Wait a sec, is that Dan's pudding?"She switched his attention to something else. "You know, he's going to hate you."

"Detective Douche will never ever find it out," he assured her with a sneaky smile. "It's his fault, he left this delicate pudding unattended."

"Labeled pudding. In the fridge." Chloe shook her head in disbelief.

"I must have overlooked that," Lucifer said, trying to act innocent whilst feasting on the pudding with pleasure just to make a point. "So, what's your new case?" Lucifer tried changing the conversation, as her judgmental look was too uncomfortable to endure any longer.

She gave a loud groan and opened the file. "Well, our victim is William Portz, real estate investor. A big fish we believe to have provided non-traceable real estates to LA mafia bosses for their various operations, but that was never proven in court."

"Oh, I know him," Lucifer remembered. "I did him a favor once."

"Of course you did. Why am I not surprised?" she commented and stood up. "Let's go."

"Gladly," he nodded and they left the precinct.

 

**At the docks at one of William Portz real estates**

Lucifer moved slowly around the body with interest. "He wore a helmet but it couldn't save him from impalement. Safety first, what a joke," Lucifer couldn't resist.

"Apparently he stumbled over the railing and fell to his death." She put the clipboard down and inspected the spot of the incident.

"Pardon?" Lucifer immediately disagreed. "His death is almost like a cheesy movie scene. He fell over the railing, seeking aid as he held desperately on to the chains, with metal pipes sticking out of the ground. The chain just happened to detached itself, causing him to be impaled by a pipe? In my opinion, there are far too many unfortunate coincidences for a bizarre accident like this."

"Yeah, I don't buy it either," she confirmed his objection, looking up, then back to the body. "The metal bar in his chest somehow doesn't fit into the picture at all. Besides, the angle of the bar doesn't really match the angle of his fall. We have bloody traces here, as if he tried to turn around. If I'm right then he was still alive after he hit the ground, _before_ he was pierced with the metal bar."

"Oh, somebody definitely wanted to make sure he died," Lucifer concluded and straightened up. "Bravo, Detective, it's a homicide!"

"We have a homicide but still no evidence that could lead us to a possible culprit," Chloe didn't see this breakthrough as a success. "Maybe we will find some fingerprints on the metal bar. It is all we've got for now. I'll go upstairs and take a closer look. Maybe I find something. You can stay here but don't. Touch. _anything_."

Lucifer watched her walking away, then moved from the spot and strolled around a bit. He finally leaned sideways against a container and pulled out his cigarettes. From here, he was able to overlook the murder site wonderfully.

He was certain that William Portz's death won't please many criminals. He did not like it either. Why had someone murdered him, when he had no real enemies because of his double-edged businesses? It just wasn't comprehensible.

Lucifer wondered why a strange feeling had suddenly dwelled in the pit of his stomach and creeped its way up to his awareness. He stopped smoking and looked around warily. Someone was watching him for sure but he couldn't figure it out.

He gave up and went looking for Chloe just to make sure that she was fine. He found her in the control room of the facility, where she went through possible evidence in a briefcase.

"This belongs to William," she explained without looking up and thumbed through the papers. "I'm trying to find out some names, anything or anyone that we can look in to…"

"Oh, I can assure you, William was a shady, intelligent man. He wouldn't just leave any important documents of his clients in his unsecured briefcase. He would hide them in a safe, presumably with state of the art security," Lucifer responded, though he had become distracted. He felt the urge to pull one of the many control levers just for fun.

"Lucifer…" her voice suddenly changed to an accusing tone and it pricked up his ears. Immediately, he saw her serious facial expression. "It seems you got a warehouse in return for your favor," she specified her concerns and held up a contract, which he had obviously signed.

This took him by surprise.

"Explain yourself," she insisted.

Skepticism arose in Chloe. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this new lead. It seemed her partner was, once again, somehow involved in a case tied to the criminal underground. They had only worked together for several weeks and she wasn't completely sure that she could trust him. Last time there was a mysterious container there was Russian dolls and angel wings. Now this. A suspicious warehouse with whatever he had hidden in there.

It was an undeniable fact that Lucifer was a huge, crazy mystery with more than often selfish intentions and questionable methods. He wandered through criminal realms and had his secrets, but what she knew about him only scratched the surface.

He covered his discomfort with a puzzled expression. "That's impossible," Lucifer finally exhaled in disbelief. "This contract was placed in this briefcase on purpose. It shouldn't even be there."

She was still indecisive, but she told him in the morning that their partnership was about trust and relying on each other. Besides, her gut told her that something was off too and on top of that, Lucifer had never lied to her so far. She cleared her throat and took a leap of faith. "If this is a frame job and, for now, I'm going to trust that there is nothing illegal going on in this particular warehouse - "

"I would never hide something dangerous or essential there like, you know, my angel wings. I need to make sure humanity doesn't come in touch with divinity – except in the bedroom," he winked at her. "It's more like an attic or basement, merely storage space for some… things I really like but don't need right now."

There was no sign of distrust in his eyes, wing thing aside, although again she had an unpleasant feeling that he hadn't told her the _whole_ truth. She went with it nonetheless. "You still have to be completely sincere with me about this favor. What did you gave William Portz in return?" she dug deeper.

"To be honest, it's a personal matter," he hesitated but gave a mollifying gesture as soon as she raised her eyebrow. "I don't talk about my given favors. My flawless reputation is at stake." Chloe's look pierced right through him as she crossed her arms. "Lucifer," she admonished him like a child.

As a result, he reluctantly gave in and softened his tone. "Bloody hell, it isn't funny anymore to make you mad. Fine, I'll make an exception for you, Detective. For our trust thing, alright?"

"You've really listened," Chloe acknowledged his goodwill with a soft gesture and strangely made him feel like he did something actually right. "Alright, go on."

"Okay, long story short, his business partner Roger Den pinched his wife," he happily began to explain. "She divorced him and in a clever coup, they took his beloved dogs without a chance to get them back. I've never quite gotten his abnormal love for animals. Well, anyways, he was willing to do anything for his doggies' safety and his greedy wife knew that. Both wanted everything he had possessed to kick him out of his own business. His world fell apart and he knew I was the best chance to help him out by pulling some strings here and there. In return, he gave me the warehouse and we parted ways."

As soon as he finished his sentence, he looked at her curiously, as small wrinkles appeared between her eyebrows. Chloe became thoughtful.

"Roger Den and this said wife are sounding like possible suspects. You spoiled their plans back then. Perhaps they want to frame you by pointing the police to your warehouse. The big question is why? At any rate, we have to question them."

"Oh, I love a good, disclosing talk," he agreed in eagerness.

"Okay, first things first, but your warehouse isn't off the table yet," she reassured him stony-faced.

He answered with a shrug and a genuine smile. "I have nothing to hide this time."

Once they had gotten search results back for their suspects they headed over to the ex-wife's home. They had learned that Roger Den had died in a horrible car crash a year ago. Marry d' Verde, William Portz's ex-wife, was very much still alive though. Perhaps revenge through pent-up rage was her motive or rather, her greed. After all, he still mentioned her in his testament and she was going to get a lot of money as an amicable settlement for their failed marriage.

Marry d' Verde was a conceited, young, good-looking woman who strived for prosperity and a fulfilled life. In a pink bathrobe, she greeted them in the hallway of the entrance. Chloe enlightened her about their visit but to their displeasure, she exposed herself as a blabbermouth. Endless complaints about her stressful life forced them to follow her without a chance to stay polite by interrupting her.

Finally, Lucifer placed himself in her way and cut to the point with a bittersweet "You are such an attractive woman. Don't let the stressful life overwhelm you or your beautiful face will get wrinkles for sure. Look at the Detective."

In an instant, Chloe was literally offended, and figuratively killed him with a death stare. However, her best choice was to cage her bad mood for the sake of this case and she kept silent with an impenetrable slight smile. Marry's scanning look was barely bearable.

"Oh, you are so right", Marry scoffed and glanced thankfully to Lucifer.

"I'm always right," Lucifer cast a spell over her with just his looks and took her hand in the process. "It's a shame you've never heard of me."

"No, it's my first time Mr. Morningstar, and it's an incredible pleasure, handsome man!" Marry giggled and they came dangerously close. "Call me, Lucifer," he purred.

Oh, Chloe wanted to shoot them both. Her for her outrageous behavior and him for his gross self-confidence. She rolled her eyes in the background of their play. If she hadn't known him by now, she would have stopped this immediately. Sadly, it was his way to get information and she inevitably had to deal with it.

"There is an important matter to discuss, my dear Marry. We found your ex-husband, murdered, and I can read solely out of your face expression that you loathed him deeply. I know you want to tell me why," Lucifer carried their conversation forward and used his mojo on her. It worked as always and it always fascinated Chloe.

"Oh, I loathe him", Mrs. d' Verde played to his sweet voice, which was entwined with his strong charms. "Thank the Lord for his death. He deserves to rot in Hell for what he was in private. I assure you, he was a terrible man while I was the faithful woman over years. He abandoned me not only as his wife, but also in bed. In bed! He worshipped these goddamned dogs. Then, when I found out he had…" She suddenly held back an intense urge to gag. "He… he... had… sex... with them…well, that was the final straw. I couldn't stand it anymore."

Well… _that_ was unexpected. Chloe and Lucifer exchanged glances.

"This sick bastard had to be treated like a dog. Yes, I wanted to hurt him back then but believe me, I have nothing to do with this horrible chapter of my life anymore," she ended slightly dizzy. "I am more than pleased now."

"Thank you for your time Mrs. d' Verde," said Chloe, a little flustered and shocked, immediately trying to put her serious self on the right track again. The knowledge alone made her feel the need to vomit as well.

"That sums up pretty much everything," Lucifer combined his own thoughts together in the meantime, not really affected by its disgusting meaning. "Deepest sympathy, for your sexual trauma. At least with your current marriage to this hot porn star I utterly hope you have plenty of awesome sex now. But if you ever need a change of scenery, I would gladly offer myself." He grinned, tempting her, and then winked.

"I hope so," she blushed.

"Thank you again for your help. We have to go," Chloe promptly said goodbye because it became more than inappropriate for her and she pulled Lucifer away.

"Don't just flirt with any woman we run into," she complained, annoyed as they walked to her car.

"Why not?" he asked. "She desired it."

"And don't pick on my wrinkles either, okay?" she suddenly let out her frustration. "I am the one with this said stressful life, not you or this awful woman, and I shouldn't be reminded of that."

"I withdraw what I said earlier. It's funny to make you mad," he laughed. "Your sweet little angry expression is marvelous."

"That's it!" she harrumphed loudly. He was an unbelievable childish man without any sense of sympathy and she was on the brink to throwing something at his head. Thankfully, she listened to her rational mind instead of her bursting feelings.

"Back to our investigation," she hissed, and got back to the important things. "Marry d' Verde wasn't promising at all. There's a lot of hate there but besides the money, which she doesn't really need, there doesn't appear to be any other motive after all this time apart from Portz. Which brings us to your warehouse again. Someone definitely wants to lead us there. So, I ask you one more time: What is in this warehouse?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I told you, nothing in particular."

It didn't satisfy her. "Hey, I have an excellent idea. Why don't we go there and you show me what's inside?" she recommended in a determined tone and Lucifer instantly knew nothing would change her mind.

 

**Lucifer’s warehouse**

From the outside, his warehouse was an inconspicuous building that stood in a landscape of the exact same looking buildings, where normally only large corporate companies stored their property. Lucifer Morningstar and his Lux nightclub just didn’t fit in this place. His warehouse was the only one without high fences and security cameras. On top of that, the door wasn’t even locked either.

“I can expect something jaw-dropping, can’t I?” Chloe felt certain and wasn’t happy about it.

“Are you suddenly scared to find out I might have built a second Eden on Earth? All touchy and heavenly sexy? The promised 70 virgins in the afterlife?” Lucifer teased her, clearly amused, and held the door for her open.

“Sure, although a sex club is nothing I wouldn’t expect from you,” Chloe fired back sarcastically. For sure, there was something hidden in there because she noticed this surprisingly uneasy smile as Lucifer asked her to come in. She didn’t need to be told twice.

As they entered his warehouse, he turned the lights on and its secret content was revealed to Chloe’s. She didn’t know whether it was a big disappointment or a big relief. Shelves up to the ceiling stowed countless boxes and on the ground, there were dusty sheets concealing many unidentifiable objects and furniture while a stuffy smell reached her nostrils. It felt more like an oversized attic. So much stuff laid around, yet it seemed like everything was still somehow organized.

Lucifer carefully watched her reactions and swiftly confirmed, “Told you, there is nothing special in here.” He was convinced she had seen enough now and wanted to leave, but Chloe, instead of listening, walked further in and took a closer look. After all, it was only the first impression and she had to be one hundred percent sure about this. Her gut feeling asked for it and she trusted it.

“Take your time then,” he sighed, slightly annoyed. He silently followed her, with his hands resting in his trouser pockets. Soon her sharp senses ultimately brought them to a black curtain spanned between two shelves. A very strong musty smell tickled her nose, which she couldn’t quite identify.

Was there finally something inside he wanted to keep secret? Strangely, he showed no sign of preventing her from going any further. No, her curiosity was pleasing him by now and he eagerly told her to go on. Behind the black spanned curtain she discovered old paintings, antic statues and crazy relics which were placed alongside a new strange looking path she accidently was about to enter.

“Wow, what is all of this?” she mumbled, stunned by this overwhelming view. The thought that a single man just like him possessed this huge and rare art collection was unbelievable because all these objects where partly so beautiful, rich in detail and massive. Surely no one in the world was able to afford them. “I bet all of this belongs in a museum,” she continued amazed.

Lucifer was proudly willing to enlighten her about the numerous things she stared at in awe. “Throughout my visits on Earth, I’ve always gotten myself some souvenirs, but I was often unable to get them down to Hell in time because of my single-minded brother always spoiling my fun on Earth too soon. He forbid it. Therefore, I had to hide them well, but lately I thought it was time to store them altogether with the Lux related stuff in one place. So, I created a private nostalgic garden to wander through past memories whenever I feel like it.”

Chloe shook her head in disbelief.

“I can’t believe all of this is yours. But more importantly, you store these high-valuable objects and you don’t even care about the possibility that someone could just take advantage and steal them? You don’t have any kind of a security system in here,” she glanced around, noticing the door, “and the door doesn’t even have a proper lock on it,” she finished, giving him a grave look.

“Why should I? Nobody steals from the Devil and gets away with it,” he answered quite naturally as it indeed wasn’t a big deal for him. Lucifer yet again confronted her with his odd Devil persona and she felt like he was making fun of her valid concerns.

“Yeah, right, because _you’re_ the Devil,” she joked, as she thought he had intended, but it only elicited a disappointed expression from him.

“I _am_ the Devil, Detective,” Lucifer defended himself offended by her attitude. 

Her guilty conscience hit her mood at once and she felt deeply blameworthy. Of course, he was serious but, if she was honest with herself, she still didn’t really know how to manage his delusional side. She knew he had built up this Devil persona to shield himself from his gruesome past, and the huge scars on his back were shocking proof of that past. Playing along was still a difficult task for her, however, she accepted his bizarre behavior and actually kind of liked it somehow. She just wasn’t sure _why_.

She cleared her throat and promptly picked something up that looked like a metal bulb decorated with gold patterns to distract themselves from the awkward outcome of this conversation. “What’s this?” Chloe asked, puzzled.

Thankfully, Lucifer took the clumsy hint and a big grin emerged on his face.

“This, Detective, is an instrument of torture from the Inquisition. Torturer inserted this in people’s rectum or mouth and opened it by twisting this metal screw. Straightforward and very painful. Demons actually love to play with this cracking toy,” he gladly informed her with a chuckle. “I have more to show if you like to. The classic Rack, the Brazing Bull of Ancient Greece, the-”

“Ew,” Chloe immediately put that offer down in disgust. “No, thank you, Lucifer. I don’t really want to know the details of any other instrument of torture. Perhaps that’s why it smells a bit like rotten flesh in here. Well, I’ve seen enough.” She then decided and turned to him.

He on the other hand suddenly seemed irritated and started to look around vigilantly. “Actually, that’s an alarming point, you’ve just mentioned,” he agreed. “It _shouldn’t_ smell like rotten flesh in here.”

It didn’t take long to figure it out. As they hurried down the path, it led them to a wide-open space where they made a grim discovery. Four corpses were bounded hand and foot to four of the five chairs placed in a line in front of a gigantic masterpiece of art, which was a two-meter high and three-and-a-half-meter wide canvas bookended in an old black wooden frame. The killer had heedlessly ruined the artwork by drawing big nonsensical symbols on it with red paint that strongly looked like dried blood. However, the most horrible scene was the state of the victims. You could see the terror and pain on their faces except for the one, whose head was missing. Another body still had a spear stuck in it.

Chloe had never seen anything this vile and cruel in her life and it left her in shock. “What the -” she said. She was mortified. Her eyes reached out for comfort but surprisingly this scenery had deeply disturbed Lucifer as well. He stood there almost dead still with a terrified look on his face that said it all. Never had a case ever affected him this way, not even the first case they worked on together, and it made this whole situation a touch scarier.

“Lucifer? Are you alright?” Chloe slowly worried about his mental state.

She just couldn’t understand what exactly had shook Lucifer to the core. It hadn’t been the corpses or the horrific view but the painted message on his most beloved work of art. She didn’t know the language, but Lucifer did. It was Enochian, the language of angels. There the threat was written:

 

_Who is next, my dearest Samael?_

It was the malicious aura ascending from these words and he felt its meaningful impact in his heavy chest. Lucifer knew there were some snippets of his mother tongue out there on Earth, carelessly used by satanic lunatics or theologians but no one had ever written these symbols so fluently nor had an earthling ever known the specific arrangement of symbols for his ancient name he so detested.

This was without doubt the doing of a divine being and it was mocking him.

“Y-yes,” he ensured calmer and more collected, finally detaching his eyes from the murder site. “I was fascinated by this… aesthetic view.”

Chloe didn’t believe this was a reaction of fascination, but she let him be for now and called the LAPD. Soon the whole place was full of people. At some point, the FBI and even professors from various art and culture committees showed up to examine his art collection about its authenticity. They were beyond baffled to find pieces from famous artists among his art collection, which they didn’t even know of their existence. Nonetheless, nothing was stolen as they had suspected and therefore, Lucifer wasn’t arrested. Still, there was a downside.                                                                                                      

“I am so sorry, Lucifer. They have confiscated everything because they don’t believe you’re the true owner. Unless you can prove your ownership, you probably won’t get anything back. It’s a matter of national treasure now,” Chloe joined him and sadly informed him about the fate of his art collection. However, Lucifer remained silent and it seemed he hadn’t even listened to her. He just stared at the enormous painting and it became clear for her that it was holding the most value to him.

“Unfortunately, same counts for this artwork as well. At least, it is evidence and thus in our hands for now,” she tried to improve his depressing mood but he was too caught up in his own thoughts, which were wildly circling around his new unknown foe. _Dearest Samael_ … It had to be someone he knew. One of his siblings? But whom, and why now? He swallowed a lump in his throat and ran his hand over his face.

Ignored by Lucifer, Chloe inhaled sharply and turned to forensics. “Found anything, Ella?”

“For starters,” Ella paused her examination of the dead corpse and looked to her. “I would ask: Oh, hey Ella, how was your week off so far? Great, thank you for asking. Nobody could have foreseen the big serial killer bomb that blasted me right out of my comfortable pajamas. No big deal for me though.”

 “I’m so sorry, Ella,” Chloe felt slightly guilty. “I just needed my best forensic expert.

“I guess I can take that compliment. Besides, we don’t have a serial killer every day,” Ella forgave her easily. “So, back to our dead guys. Cause of death is probably impalement with this spear over there, but I can’t cancel out poison ‘cause there are strong typical indications on the bodies. Maybe they were tortured by the poison and then killed. I don’t know for sure yet. Time of death is also difficult to tell right now because they didn’t die a short while ago. Well, we didn’t find the missing body parts either and I haven’t yet found anything on the bodies that can help. Taken all together, we don’t have much but I’m working on it.”

“Thanks for your help,” Chloe appreciated her hard work. “So, who do you think could be a suspect?” she called out to Lucifer and folded her arms but her pointed remark met deaf ears. He really was unbelievable. Why was he so obsessed with these symbols? “Can you actually read that?” she tried to get through to him because something deeply bothered him and she really wanted to know why.

Chloe waited patiently by his side and her effort finally paid out. He gave her a brief glance and inhaled deeply before he talked to her. “I can’t believe someone ruined my Leonardo da Vinci. It represents the story of the Fall so purely and truthfully accurate. It’s a shame. He made this for me, so I would never forget him and our lovely long nights together.”

“Right…,” Chloe didn’t expect an art lesson from him out of the blue but just went with it and scanned the many small stories taken place on the canvas. Well, she wasn’t an art expert and she surely wasn’t convinced she stared at a Da Vinci, but this work was truly beautiful.

Her general interest let him dip deeper into the subject matter with newfound élan and a big smirk. “He was an insane man as a person and in bed, let me tell you. It was a huge challenge for me to flip him but it was a fun one. Flipping men was indeed my thing at that time. Well, at the end, he presented me this.” He spread his arms, “His love confession. I laughed so hearty at him back then. Uh, I had never appreciated his work as much as I do right now.”

He went silent again, thoughtful and she could feel his hurt and infuriation.

“It’s an inexcusable crime,” she then concluded after a quiet time and looked at him with genuine, serious eyes. “We are standing right in the middle of an inexcusable crime and in the center of all of this is you. I really need your cooperation otherwise I can’t help prove your innocence.”

He sighed, defeated by her words and took her offer with a subdued mood. “It’s probably my blackmailer.”

“Blackmailer?” she repeated in surprise and forced him to look at her. 

“Yes. Look, Detective, this is a message. Someone is clearly threatening my reputation,” he made it quite clear to her in a sudden outrageous tone and pointed to the corpses. Chloe frowned, irritated by his accusation but he wasn’t yet finished with his explanation.

“I did every one of them a favor and got one in return. This dead fellow to begin with is Jack Folder, the famous lawyer whose kept criminals on the loose and this one is Walter Grey, CEO of the delivery company which is also famous for their drugs shipping operations throughout the world. This headless man here is James Monroe, undertaker and the best creator of identities and surprise, this dead man is Pitch, the best entertainer for not so legal desires. Include William Portz and voila. These big names were killed in my warehouse and had business with me ergo news will spread and my reputation is damaged.”

“So, these men were killed because of their dealings with you,” she summed it up.

“No, not only killed but body parts were also sent to me in packages. That’s how I know this headless man is James Monroe,” he revealed.

“Since when? You’ve never told me about that,” she replied frustrated. “We need these packages.”

“A month but I told Maze get rid of them,” he answered but stopped her complaints immediately with a wave of his hand. “That’s not the point. I wouldn’t mind a blackmailer because first, I’ve never had one before and second, he mostly acted just like one of my many lovers who couldn’t get enough of me. I’d never imagined he would involve the police to lure me here -” he halted, a sudden realization dawning on him. “Or, maybe… maybe, he made it a police matter because I gave him no attention.”

“Or maybe it was not intended after all,” Chloe pensively connected the evidence. “William Portz’ body was found accidentally by teens playing in this closed remoted facility. There’s a fifth chair here, empty. Perhaps the blackmailer had arranged a meeting with our victim, in your name, about the contract. Something went wrong, perhaps he got suspicious, and the blackmailer chased William. Then William somehow fell over the railing. Maybe those teens interrupted the blackmailer and he killed William in a hurry and then fled. I know it is a far-fetched theory and it needs proof.” She exhaled. “But if I’m right, this scenery wasn’t even his finished statement to you and all of this is just the beginning.”

“He surely got my attention now,” he mumbled upset and then suddenly he changed his mind. “I have to go.”

“Wait!” Chloe insisted and went after him. “I told you not to leave me like that ever again or this partnership is gone.” It was selfish but a necessary step to threaten him about his given promise because this case was about him after all and she needed him more than ever.

He immediately stopped and turned. This childish annoyance in his expression meant nothing to her. “This is the Devil’s work from now on, Detective,” he said determined with a coldhearted tone, and she instantly knew he was about to do something very illegal. This path however, she was not willing to let him take.

“You’ll do nothing without me. Your name is number one on the suspect list and unless you can prove your innocence, I won’t let you go. Even if that means I have to handcuff you and drag you with me back to the precinct,” she was dead serious and as a proof of her own resolve, she put her hand to the gun.

This was an unmistakable sign and he clearly saw it that way because there was no silly joke leaving his mouth. No, he was reflecting her ultimatum although he disliked her very much in that moment. He groaned angrily, struggling with his choice but then he finally decided which was more important to him.

“Fine,” he hissed reluctantly. “I’m going to prove my innocence. Perhaps Maze didn’t get rid of today’s package. I’ll ask her but-”

“No ifs, no buts,” she demanded at once. “If you’re blackmailer story is true, we’re going to stop him together.”


	3. Let me be your Detective Douche replacement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They still can't figure out who Lucifer's blackmailer is but Lucifer realizes soon that someone might be in danger. Therefore, Chloe can't reject his devilish offer.

_Who is next, my dearest Samael?_ These threatening words echoed continuously in his mind and made his thoughts restless. There was a divine being out there, whom obviously held a huge grudge against him. Well, it was nothing special at all. Throughout his life in Hell after his rebellion, someone’s resentment or death threats were his steady companion because everyone and mostly his siblings hated him for what he had done. Just to make things worse, he loved to spark quarrels whenever the very few dared to visit his kingdom to rub his grand failure in his face. Their big angelic egos, feeling almighty and superior in his presence, was just ludicrous.

He made it his personal mission to pay everyone back who had disrespected him. However, for that very reason, his siblings wouldn’t just hide in the shadows and leave him extraordinary messages out of blood and corpses - they would rather announce their dispute with a noisy entrance and a wicked tongue. In addition, it was clearly a waste of time for them to deal with him anyway because he was a small thorn in their side, more pleasant to avoid than to pull out. Even Amenadiel was forced to deal with him due to Dad and not because he loved his little brother. That was why this grudge was quite different and now so intriguing. It just wasn’t plausible that one of them took measures in to their own hands because someone suddenly felt a slight breeze of free will in the air.

On top of that, they took Dad’s rules quite seriously, and his rules forbade angels from killing humans. Was it a demon then? No, they were unable to step over Hell’s threshold. Was it a human? He had already seen the ill-natured depths and depravity of a human soul and a human was surely capable of this crime. However, there was only the church he could think of which had some enormous Devil issues, but they were stripped of their power a long time ago. Their knowledge of Enochian was quite good though. A lone nut from the church?

He still couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea after all to get insights into the Detective’s investigation to collect further information about his blackmailer while Maze was searching for leaks and connections on the other side of the road.

The elevator opened and Lucifer walked through the precinct to the room where Chloe was working on the case, entirely absorbed by it. Pictures of the crime scene with notes were pinned and organized on the white board next to her while many files laid on the table. “A bloody package delivery for Detective Decker,” he happily called attention to himself and placed it right in front of her. “My apologies for the dents but Maze played soccer with it.”

Chloe immediately looked up and then inspected the package. It seemed he had delivered what she had asked and it was even more gratifying that he came back in general. Well, of course, she had lost a bit of hope after what had happened, but Lucifer was indeed serious about their partnership. He had proven it once more and it was time to stop her concerns once and for all.

“Needless to say, I had to stop a demon, Detective. Maze was royally pissed at me because I chose to put this matter in your hands and she is very persistent on that front.” He let her know and watched her in anticipation as she put on gloves and raised the content out of the deformed package.

“James Monroe’s head is exactly what we needed. Perfect, your blackmailer is now our main suspect and you’re off the table,” she elucidated. “Hurray,” Lucifer sarcastically celebrated the news. She knew all too well that he was still slightly pissed at her because she indirectly accused him of being involved in this case. But in fact, she had never doubted his innocence anyhow because at heart, he was an honest man with honest reactions and this crime had an impact on him she had never seen before. It affected her deeply in return. If someone was threatening him, she just couldn’t stand there, do nothing and let him do something he would regret. Chloe wanted to be there for him as his partner and to force herself on him was the best way to show him that she truly cared. Too complicated to explain but it had worked somehow and more importantly, it seemed he fully trusted her now.

Swiftly she put the head back because it smelled pretty awful and then focused her attention on the white board. “So, your blackmailer killed them all and sent you body parts to intimidate you.”

“Actually, I think it was more like an invitation to play his game of cat-and-mouse. But my blackmailer apparently doesn’t know who he’s challenged. I’m excellent in catching the mouse and giving out punishment.” He threw in with high self-confidence and smirked devilishly. “I always win, Detective.”

“Or this time you’re the mouse,” Chloe considered low-keyed. She grabbed the pencil and wrote >personal grudge< on the board. “Your blackmailer knows what he’s doing. He is intelligent and ruthless. Your warehouse, these men, this cryptic message…  Your blackmailer must’ve known you very well. Can you think of anyone that you’ve ever disappointed or deeply hurt recently or at some point in your life?”

“My Dad is definitely on top of that very, very long list,” Lucifer assured her without hesitation but immediately carried on the new illuminating potential lead. “Hold on, it actually would make sense. I quit Hell without his permission and now he is more pissed than ever. Amenadiel didn’t work, perhaps now he chose the hard way to bring me back to Hell such as Moses and the ten plagues. Warn me slowly at the beginning and raise the bar each time I don’t give a damn. Bloody hell, there is nothing safe from his wrath once he’s started.”

His body language spoke in sovereign contempt. Lucifer became quick-tempered every time he mentioned his Dad. She saw anger flashing in his eyes and his muscles automatically tensing. His hatred was rooted deep within him and it was frightening. He once told her that the two huge scars on his back where his Dad’s fault, so it was quite natural for him to feel that way. Chloe on the other hand always felt helpless because there was nothing she could do to ease his pain. Knowing he wouldn’t take it well, she suggested logically, “We should talk to your Dad then.”

Instantly he started to laugh, as he couldn’t believe what she just said. “You must be joking! Yeah, right! He would gladly answer your prayers.” She patiently bore his mockery since she expected this kind of reaction. “Asking God about his overarching plans is like talking to a rock and a rock would tell you more. Are you that naïve?”

“So, your Dad is beyond reach,” she assumed as he finally finished his uproar. His simple answer was yet again an unmistakable laugh of contempt. “Dad is a dick and only talks through action. He doesn’t want to get his hands dirty, that’s why he always sends out his minions to do his bidding.”

Between the lines, it appeared that Lucifer’s family was quite complicated and extremely dangerous if his Dad really was as bad as he described. It would make sense that Lucifer started a new life five years ago here in Los Angeles to detach himself from his family affairs. Her great speculations pictured his Dad as a big boss of some sort of criminal organization who ruled tyrannical and abusive over his family and Lucifer as a son who was just born into it. She shuddered to think that he wasn’t so wrong about the possibility that his father finally found him and wanted to get him back to where he originally belonged. “Nothing is for sure. If your Dad is indeed behind this we have to find a link first,” she explained their next step determined. “Trust me. At the end, everyone gets what they deserve. Even your father.”

“A human wants to bring God to justice,” he snarked about her ridiculously ambitious scheme. His behavior really gave her headaches.

“Enough with that. Let’s see what we found out starting with these cryptic symbols,” she led over to their case and pointed to the pictures on the table. “They went through our data base and a semiotician inspected them but nada. At least, he told us that they are a mix of Enochian and fictional nonsense. Who would have thought that your blackmailer is on the same biblical trip just like you?” For sure, these beliefs had to be a thing in his family she subsequently concluded in her thoughts.

“I guess, you will stay in your bubble forever,” he accepted her atheistic views, though visibly dissatisfied. At least, he was relieved that Chloe was unable to decipher the message because it would only fuel her pesky little concerns even more. “Come to think of it…” he accidentally mumbled his sudden delicate thought and eyed Chloe anxiously on the contrary. Who was next? Everyone, who was associated with him, was in possible danger and the Detective was included.

“Hm?” she heard his mutter but at that moment, the door flew open and Ella came right through waving a clipboard in her hand. “News, guys! Well, no groundbreaking news but news. We found fingerprints on the metal bar and they are exactly the same fingerprints on the spear. Therefore, our two crimes are connected. Unfortunately, our suspect isn’t listed in our data base, so we still don’t have a name yet.”

“That’s not helpful,” Lucifer said in frustration, and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I know bud. Same reaction,” Ella replied. “We practically have nothing to convict our killer but it’s a small step in the right direction.”

“What else do we have, Ella?” Chloe interposed curiously.

“The indications of poisoning were right. I ascertained remains of venom in all the victim’s blood. I couldn’t clarify its whole purpose, but the venom damaged their nervous system irreparably. Cause of death was definitely the chest wound. However, here comes the truly strange part,” she excitedly showed them the results on her clipboard but they both just couldn’t interpret a thing. Ella immediately helped. “The red paint? Blood. Sort of. I’ve never seen something like that before in my forensic career. Perhaps the blood was mixed up with a miraculous unknown substance because it doesn’t fricking clot. Even now the blood cells are active and unharmed as if they’d been frozen in time. Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

“Very strange,” Chloe agreed with her, clearly baffled. “Yeah! That’s impossible.” Ella excitedly shared her opinion.

“Again, not helpful,” Lucifer seemed on edge and grunted resentment. 

“Yet it’s something we shouldn’t leave out,” Chloe gave him a sharp look. “Thank you, Ella. Here I have a present for you. The missing head.” She pushed the package towards her. “Perhaps that will help.”

“Oh, I’m right on it!” she approved her new task and got to work at once.

“What should we do?” Lucifer asked, clueless, as they hadn’t a lead to go on.

“Well, we’ll have to wait,” Chloe had to admit. “Our blackmailer hadn’t made a mistake yet.”

“Splendid!” It galled him and it became worse. “Oh, bloody Hell. Not him of all people,” he suddenly saw Detective Douche through the windows coming straight to their room.

“It’s okay,” she answered firmly, adjusted her blazer and cleared her throat.

“How can you even accept his presence?” Lucifer got upset. “He had betrayed you, Detective. Remember?” Their conversation immediately came to a halt as he opened the door. Lucifer didn’t deign to look at him. Even showed him the cold-shoulder to signal that he wasn’t welcome, whereas Chloe crossed her arms and was ready to hear him out. “What is it, Dan?” she asked.

“We have to talk,” Dan explained and hesitantly massaged his neck. When he wanted to talk, she instantly knew it was an unpleasant matter that would ultimately disappointed her. So what was it this time? Chloe gave him permission with a slight nod.

“You know that I was devoted.” He started sweeping, making sure nobody was listening. “And I want to make things better. First, between us and Trixie. I know you are pissed at me and you have every right to be. Well, because I’m everyone’s gofer now, my workload is enormous lately. I’m so sorry, Chloe, but I will most likely not be able to attend the school event this evening. So…"

Chloe leant forward and pierced him with condemnatory eyes. “Trixie has a main role in this play,” she argued, offended. “You could at least be there for here as her dad.”

“I know how important this is for our child,” he understood but it didn’t change his mind and he finally cut to the point with a big sigh. “Look, we can’t play happy family anymore just for Trixie. You know it’s wrong.”

Chloe became furious. “But missing out an important day for our child because of that?” she replied without sympathy in a harsh tone. “What, in your opinion, should I tell her now? She was so looking forward to it.”

He glanced past her to Lucifer then back. “Tell her I couldn’t come. Listen Chloe, we need to talk about this further, in private. It’s time to stop pretending everything is fine.”

“You ruined my day.” With these rather cold-hearted words, she pushed past him and made her way to a place where he wasn’t. It had become too much for her. Their constant talks about their family problems and discussions about work had reached futility. On top of all that, she had to disappoint her little monkey yet again! Her feelings swirled unintentionally high and she had to hold herself together for a brief moment. She was angry, desperate and it was enough to make her weep.

“Detective!” she heard Lucifer suddenly calling for her. She quickly wiped away her tears, tried to bury her emotions and turned around. What was he still doing here? He hurried over to her a little too fast, so he had to brake hard to avoid crashing into her, and then just stared for a few moments. Had he noticed? She unintentionally exhaled a quiet “Ehem” and made a step back. “What is it, Lucifer?”

“I thought that you may need a Detective Douche replacement for this evening and it just so happens… I’m free,” he offered his assistance with a helpful smile. While he burst full of initiative, Chloe smelled something was off. “I don’t buy it,” she refused. “You are the last person who would want to spend quality time with my family.”

His jaw dropped. “I can sacrifice myself,” he insisted. “I would do anything for you if you asked me. Think of your child for once. Poor little Trixie. She would be so devastated. We can't let that happen,” he said, trying to persuade her. She just rose her eyebrows and wasn’t convinced at all. 

“Why are you so determined?” she wanted the whole truth. He sighed and his expressions became more serious.

“I only want to help, isn't it obvious? I offer you my helping hand.” She remained stubborn. “What will it take to convince you?” He finally gave in. “Look, my mad blackmailer is targeting people who have dealings with me. I can’t risk you, Detective, not after I made a huge effort to become your partner. I just want to make sure you’re safe until I find a solution. You, on the contrary, need company for the play tonight to make your offspring happy. It’s a win-win situation for both of us. That’s all,” he revealed his intention.

He of all people was actually worried about her well-being?

Surprised by his words she needed a moment. “Y- you know… it’s a school play,” she warned him and still felt deeply unsure about him. This play was nothing he would like for sure because this definitely wasn’t listed on his ‘luxurious lifestyle’ agenda. Parties were his thing, not this.

“Discomfort must be dealt with for the well-being of others,” he played the Good Samaritan in a soft voice and seriously gave her no reason to reject his offer. It was creepy how stubborn he was to get what he wanted.

Chloe stalled with her decision. Wasn’t Lucifer scared of her daughter for some reason? Most certainly, he didn’t even know what he had gotten himself into. However, Trixie liked him, and she surely would be happy if he came instead. She wouldn’t mind the absence of her father too much if Lucifer came and it was the perfect way to hide the fact that her parents fought grave issues behind her back. Lucifer would just bring her another lightsome day and delay the unspoken truth for her for a little while longer. She couldn’t resist his tempting offer anymore. “Well… why- why not?” she finally stammered.

“Deal!” he confirmed and grinned with satisfaction.

 

**Chloe’s apartment**

They stood in front of Chloe's door, but for no apparent reason they lingered. Lucifer looked down in astonishment at her petite stature. “The door is very exciting,” he joked as an indirect request. Chloe finally sighed loudly and turned to him. "Lucifer, you stay here. I'm going to change clothes quickly,” she told him to wait and looked at him briefly emphatically to signal that he should let rest his attachment for a few minutes. Since her decision, Lucifer followed her wherever she went and slowly she felt the compulsion to run away.

“Darling, let me in your bedroom, so I can guard you more efficiently,” he purred and leered.

Lucifer wasn’t thrilled to wait outside, and a serious discomfort was to be interpreted from his expression. However, she was insane to let him into her bedroom. “Well, you can wait inside then,” she said deliberately, because she still had a trump card, with which she could definitely scare him off, “Trixie can keep you company.”

Lucifer froze. Anything but that. With all the ambition for his mission to guard her, he struggled against the little monster that raged in this house. Her offspring was very affectionate and self-centered, which always put his patience to the test. He certainly wasn’t in the mood to do this voluntarily. “I'd rather wait outside,” he said, decline her new offer immediately, hiding his true attitude behind a patchy smile.

“Really?” Chloe asked in surprise, though in fact she was less surprised.

He only nodded in agreement and his gesture was unmistakable. “But if anything happens, just scream my name.”

“Right...," she replied slightly irritated by his ridiculous request. She then sighed in an uncommon wink of deep gratitude. "Lucifer, I really want to thank you for coming with me today, because Daniel... you know… There is so much going on in my life lately and with this you're saving my ass a little bit. Thank you, Lucifer. Anyway, I just hope this play doesn’t get too boring for you.” It was wrong not to thank him for his commitment.

“Wait. What? Hold on, I must have gotten this terribly wrong,” Lucifer suddenly interrupted her playfully horrified, causing confusion in Chloe. “You must have forced me into this!”

Of course he turned this moment into an unfunny joke.

"You’ll survive", she immediately stopped his theatrical revolt with a halfhearted serious expression and opened the door along the way. However, before she could even enter, Trixie suddenly blocked the passage. The little girl had waited impatiently for them and grinned excitedly up to her ears. She wore a fancy costume with clearly too many sequins and too much glitter. A crown in her hair and two small wings adorned her small body. Now it was too late to run, because the little monster had immediately recognized Lucifer next to Chloe.

“Lucifer!” Trixie exclaimed in delight and spontaneously attacked him with a hug. Completely overwhelmed, Lucifer instinctively stretched out his hand against her and carefully kept her away from him. Like two small tentacles, her arms tried to catch his hips. He immediately looked to Chloe for help, but she was ignoring his cries for help. As she entered the house, she secretly smiled at Trixie’s little welcome spectacle and quickly left the two alone because, well, he deserved a little bit of Trixie. _Traitor_ , he thought outraged and nothing was able to change his miserable situation anymore.

“Hello, little human,” he said politely and finally gave up his defense, because Trixie wouldn’t stop enforcing her hug. Moaning, he let it happen and swore to himself that this time was the last time he would capitulate to the little urchin.

“Ehm ... a very gorgeous dress,” Lucifer finally gave Trixie a compliment and forced his admiration. The little child enjoyed his undivided attention and literally sucked it up like a sponge. To his relief, the little monster finally let go of him. “I'm a fairy!” She replied proudly and looked down at herself.

“Okay…,” he nodded timidly. “I don’t want to destroy your hopes but fairies don’t exist.”

“Of course I know that,” she pouted. She was grown up enough to know that. "Just as you are not the Devil."

“Miss, these are two completely different things that you should never tie together!” Lucifer insisted earnestly on the correctness. “Fairies are fairytales made out of people's fantasies, but the Devil is real. He stands right in front of you and he does not like your naughty behavior.”

“Oh, yes?” she demanded, sticking out her tongue. “Prove it.”

“I’d rather not. Your little mind would not be able to handle this revelation and we do not want your mother to have to visit you in a psychiatric unit from now on,” he declined decisively.

“Then I do not believe in the Devil,” she replied, insulted, and crossed her arms.

“Better for you,” he said only in agreement. “Well, your mother needs some time. So…,” he clapped in his hands and changed the subject to her costume. “Ehm... very detailed, your dress.” Her eyes immediately began to glow again, and she proudly lifted the fabric so he could better look at it.

“I did that with Mom!”

“For real? That must have been a lot of work,” Lucifer was interested and both sat down on the couch. He knew what he had to do now and he was ready to listen to her inexhaustible talk. In the end, he had a booklet in his hand about her play and was stuffed with thousands of pieces of information in a short time. He gave her some well-intentioned advice and told her about his experiences in which theater play occurred. Astonishingly, Trixie understood a lot for her age and it impressed him.

“Ah, look. Your mother is finally ready,” he broke off their conversation politely and pointed to the stairs. At that same moment, Chloe appeared as if he had guessed it. She now had her hair down, her make-up was fresh, and she was wearing a nice dark blue dress. Lucifer was fascinated how changeable she was and it stunned him. “We'll talk about this position another time ...,” he promised absentmindedly and stood up slowly.

"I’m ready." Chloe confirmed but, in that moment, she noticed his gaze. Her pulse inevitably shot up and she looked down shyly. Was her dress choice too much? If not tonight, when was the right occasion to wear this damn thing? Gosh, her mom has literally forced it upon her when they were shopping. “How do I look? Too much? Definitely too much, right?”

Speechless, Lucifer gave her only a small acknowledgment nod, but Trixie finally spoke the words that had stuck in his throat. “No, you look beautiful!” and immediately ran to her enthusiastically. Chloe leaned down and straightened her costume. “You look great too, little monkey.” Then she brought the bad news to her about her dad, although it was obviously difficult.

“Why?” Trixie demanded, angrily. Her little discussion moved into the background for Lucifer. Oddly, he just could not take his eyes off Chloe. Her body moved so gracefully in her tight dress that it made him nervous. His eyes were keenly watching the variation of her facial expressions as she and Trixie spoke, which revealed so much that it confused him, for he did not understand its meanings.

His stare was so obvious, Chloe looked up.

“Pardon.” Lucifer took advantage of the precarious situation for a polite apology and walked briskly toward the front door. Leaning against the bonnet of her car, he quickly lit up a cigarette and puzzled in his thoughts why he had been staring at her. Damn, his thoughts were still stuck with her. He desperately needed a distraction!


	4. It seems that she is irreplaceable

**Trixie's play**

“So much prey”, Lucifer mumbled pleased and eagerly made plans as he scanned the audience in the theatre hall. Both unfulfilled single mothers and faithful wives were screaming with their glances and smiles for his attention. It was too obvious to overlook his affection over all those present and it boosted his ego. The fun has just begun. He made his first persuasive steps toward the lucky winner but suddenly someone tapped on his shoulder. Lucifer turned around to a slightly stressed Chloe.

“Sorry the wait. Here”, she pressed an ugly looking, colorful clip in the palm of his hand. “For you.”

“What is this monstrosity?” he asked puzzled.

She chuckled and showed him her own clip that she pinned to her dress. “I’ve just supported the donation project besides Trixie’s class play. Trixie’s teacher Miss Clairwood handed two of them out to me because she thought we are a couple. Besides, she wished me good luck as if I much-need it.” She gave a loud annoyed groan. “We aren’t even divorced yet. I can already hear the rumors. That sucks.” The joy she felt for the next school meeting and the interrogation that would follow. Ugh.

“This is marvelous. Let’s fuel the rumors”, he replied immediately, bent down to her face and his hand slipped to her side. “And make them totally jealous.” His insidious purring close to her ear gave her goosebumps.

“Stop this”, she demanded at once with a firm look. “What is it with you today?” His simple answer was an amused smirk without showing any remorse. Chloe smiled back, politely building up distance and carefully reminded him: “We have a work relationship nothing more, nothing less.”

“Nah, there is more. I’m sure of it, Darling”, he persisted, but his effort just left her cold.

“We are friends at the most. That’s what we are”, she clarified.

“Friends”, he repeated delightful. He'd surely hold her meaningful statement dear but for now, he was full of mischief.  “With benefits at least. Deep, deep inside your soul, you know that you want me. You know that.”

“No. I know deep in my soul that this, us, is never going to happen. You've just got friendzoned."

Savage and it only reconfirmed Chloe’s immunity to his charms. He sighed, dissatisfied. Why was he still trying to use his gift on her when the results never changed? Well, the minimal possibility of a change of course. It was worth a try from time to time but right now, it didn’t help at all.

Chloe glanced to the clock over their heads and changed topics. “Let’s take our seats. We have merely ten minutes now.”

“Let me at least quickly hook up a desperate woman before the boring play begins. So, I have an excuse to skip time,” he insisted.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Come on. It certainly isn’t asking too much if you could be a well-behaved Devil for me tonight.”

“Never, ever”, Lucifer replied sharply but his resolve crumbled immediately under her gaze and he made a subdued concession to please her: “Well, perhaps I’ll consider your plea because you ask me ever so nicely.”

“Yeah, please have mercy on me”, she was done with his exhausting behavior and they set off to their seats but they were interrupted already the next moment.

“Ah Chloe, long time no see”, a woman said, separating from a group. It was Jane Mile, the mother of one of Trixie’s classmates. She greeted her with an enforced hug. “How are you? How is your little Trixie going? I heard she has a main part in the play. So wonderful.” Her eyes got caught in an instant as she noticed the tall handsome man by her side. “Lucifer Morningstar”, he quickly introduced himself and his eyes provoked her with carnal desire. “Perfect timing! You want sex with me, desperate, horny woman, I can tell.”

Chloe couldn’t believe his upfront rudeness. His spoken truth was certainly a great insult for this caliber of a woman but Jane Mile must have overheard it somehow. She just wasn’t able to hide her reactions to his magical appeal. “Lucifer. Morningstar”, she let his name melt on her tongue. Lucifer pushed Chloe aside and took the chance. “You see, I’m officially not free tonight but who cares anyway. What if we sweeten our newfound relationship and chat somewhere in private?“ The slight disappointment vanished completely form Jane’s face and her body was prepared to gladly accept the offer.

 _Here we go again._ Chloe thought infuriated. _However, not on her watch!_ “Don’t even try it”, Chloe hissed angrily towards Lucifer and directly apologized to Jane Mile:  “I’m so sorry Jane, but we have to go now and take our seats. Literally now. Bye. See you. Have a nice evening.” With these words, she roughly pulled Lucifer away and built a great distance between them.

“Why do you always spoil my fun?” he moaned.

“I actually saved you from a terrible woman”, Chloe justified her actions and dropped their conversation immediately although Lucifer had become incredibly intrigued by her averseness to Jane Mile because they obviously were friends. He graced her with his childishly annoyance, but he had no luck. As if, she didn’t notice his tricks. It didn’t escaped Chloe that he was deeply worried about her well-being and hid his insecurities by acting out. It was the fourth woman that he had wanted to hook up with since they’d arrived and that meant something because normally, he controlled himself. Tedious, yet endearing. Perhaps it was a good idea to keep cool. Prevent the worse, Chloe.

Shortly after, the play began, and the kids were performing cringe-worthy scenes. Well, it was bearable enough to stay but his boredom was a strong foe to battle. It made Lucifer restless and an internal conflict between his responsibilities and his urge took on tormenting shapes. Lucifer concentrated on those who were present and guessed their shadiest desires while Chloe proudly watched her daughter. It was enjoyable. However, soon his focus shifted to Chloe and yet again, he couldn’t handle those strange thoughts popping up in his mind which were giving him warm chills.

Maybe he was looking at her for too long because Chloe suddenly detached her eyes from the stage and gave him a confused glance. He hadn’t intended it at all and swiftly turned away.

“Do you want to leave?” She asked softly. “No, I’m fine,” Lucifer played it down and pretended everything was indeed fine but it wasn’t obviously. Yes, he wasn’t able to deny anymore that Chloe was irreplaceable. He felt so much beside her, so many new thrilling but scary things that he hadn’t felt in a long, very long time. Somehow, Lucifer was willing to vow to himself that he would do all in his power to protect her from any harm just to make sure of having more of Chloe in his life. Since the blackmailer still lurked in the shadows, he had to be especially careful. He meant it. However, was Chloe actually aware of his devotion?

“Detective”, he whispered quite hesistantly because he finally brought himself to the point of actually promising her his decision. “Sh. This is Trixie’s big moment,” she promptly cut him off even though her disregard wasn’t on purpose. Nevertheless, this interruption angered him greatly because it was from upmost importance what he had to tell her. However, suddenly a strange, new feeling surprised him. “Detective!” he demanded her attention because he didn’t know what was happening to him. Lucifer couldn’t fight this strong pull as it overwhelmed him in a blink of an eye.

“What- Lucifer?” Chloe whispered confused, but his seat was empty. He was gone.

Some mysterious power had carried him away to an unknown place. Only just a second ago, he was sitting next to Chloe but now, he was standing in a dark, musty, torch-lit hall. Pillars supported the massive, ancient brickwork in two rows to a gigantic gate. The closer he curiously came the gate, the hotter the atmosphere got and he suddenly realized. That was not good. Not good at all. How the Hell did he end up in front of a gate _to_ Hell? Why was it open and above all not guarded?

"Finally”, someone panted near him. Lucifer followed the voice suspiciously around the next pillar and it was none other than his big brother Amenadiel, searched for aid. Lucifer laughed loudly and disrespectfully at him, for what he saw was just fabulous. Someonehad nailed Amenadiel literally to the ground and he was unable to free himself from this very tricky, artificial cage. Those magical iron stakes that stuck in his arms, legs, shoulders and wings were meant to bind the strongest. Oh, how he enjoyed the view.

Yet, his mood changed at once and his face darkened as he noticed something extremely unpleasant. This bastard had dared to summon him through his true name that he had written in Enochian with his powerful angel blood. Lucifer immediately lost his temper to this outrageous humiliation. His contempt spoke volumes.

“How dare you,” Lucifer growled in rage. His eyes lit up in flames and he clenched his hands into fists. “NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO USE MY NAME. Absolutely NOBODY! Not even you.” Lucifer stalked purposefully around him, immediately blurring the symbols with the sole of his shoe. “This is unforgivable,” he added in such a hostile tone that the atmosphere trembled around him.

“It was an emergency call,” Amenadiel apologized and exhaled heavily under his pain.

“Oh really? Since when did you break rules?” Lucifer made a mocking remark, knelt and scanned him maliciously. His forefinger then moved to one of the iron stakes and he pushed it playfully back and forth. His brother squirmed under the caused pain and it sounded heavenly in his ears. "It’s a shame that you haven’t died yet. Well, I promised you to eat your heart someday and here you are on a silver platter.”

“Very funny," Amenadiel gasped sarcastically and wasn’t impressed at all by his sinister intentions. “Now, free me already!”

“Why would you assume that I want to free you? Hell, this is a great opportunity for sweet revenge”, Lucifer scorned him and continued to play with the stakes just to let him suffer a little more. It was deeply satisfying to see his brother this powerless for once. Amenadiel's hateful gaze pierced him sourly. “Just wait. When I'm out of here.”

The empty threat made Lucifer laugh. “If”, Lucifer emphasized and took it to extremes. “Look, I have a suggestion for you. Why don’t you summon Gabriel or Michael instead and leave me alone? They surely like you a tad more. Oh, wait is this a too huge disgrace?” He definitely hit a nerve and Amenadiel’s confessing reaction was a sweet victory. “Thought so, brother. With me, you dare to do this humiliation because I am the eyesore of the family but woe it is someone else. I really hope someday consequences will hit you hard.”

“Of course you wouldn’t understand the greater importance,” Amenadiel defended his actions. “It’s your fault after all.”

“Yeah, right. It’s always my fault. The real burning question is who was able to overpower the strongest of all angels so easily?” Lucifer bullied him sarcastically. Mad because of the demonstration of his own grand failure, Amenadiel only admitted sorely: “I don’t know. I couldn’t see the attacker because I was, well, distracted.”

“No way!” Lucifer snorted with laughter. “What on earth distracted you of all angels?”

“It doesn’t matter”, Amenadiel continued, upset.

Their little chat was getting better and better but Lucifer was in a hurry, nonetheless. The Detective was still waiting for him. “Well then”, he became serious. “I am very curious about your story. Not. I couldn’t care less. Look, I was in the middle of an operation and you disrupted me. Your timing is always legendary. So, let’s say you’ll send me back immediately and I’ll consider forgiving you.”

“You are unbelievable. Luci, someone ambushed me and broke into Hell. This incident is far more important than your shenanigans with your little Detective”, Amenadiel pointed to reason and didn’t understand his lack of interest.

“Beg your pardon!” his ignorance offended Lucifer and for that reason, he refused to help him all the more. “Your problem. Not mine”, Lucifer hissed.

“My problems are also yours!” Amenadiel insisted because he was in the right. “It’s your job to rule Hell. Not mine. You knew something bad would happen sooner or later because you left.”

“Don’t put the blame on me!” Lucifer clarified and became impatient. “Send me back already, brother!” Amenadiel remained stubborn. “Why so angry all of a sudden? You seem distressed although you don’t ultimately need me to go back unless…” Now Amenadiel hit a nerve. “Unless your powers as a former angel are not so great anymore. Tainted because of your sins and exhausted by cutting off your wings. You can’t leave from here until you free me, brother”, Amenadiel spoke out the unpleasant truth.

Lucifer’s eyes reflected deep hatred for his brother, but it was a checkmate. It made Lucifer furious. “Is this a new trick of yours to kick me back into Hell?” This odd situation he was orchestrated into smelled like a big fat trap.

“Don’t be foolish” Amenadiel dismissed his skepticism. “I really need your help otherwise I would have helped myself.” Lucifer wasn’t convinced at all, therefore Amenadiel finally had to overcome a bit of his pride. “I’m going to promise, I’ll send you back after you did your part. I swear in the name of our Father. It’s far more important to find the culprit who’ve broken into Hell than dealing with you once more. I’m not saying that I’m defeated in my task to bring you back to Hell but I’ll put it on ice for now. The culprit might have stolen something or released someone much worse.”

“You’re damn lucky that I’m in a hurry”, Lucifer growled after careful consideration. “I’m still curious: Is there nothing you can tell me about your attacker? He must be strong,” it sparked his interest as he began to release Amenadiel.

“No, the culprit had lurked in the shadows. This bastard sneaked upon me, bit me in the shoulder and I soon lost all consciousness”, his brother explained, still visibly mad about it. “A bite…”, Lucifer exhaled barely hearable and looked at the almost vanished bite wound on his brother’s shoulder. Strange. Not for long, Amenadiel was quickly recovering from his painful experience while Lucifer counted every second wasted. “I did my part. Now would you kindly send me back and keep me up-to-date with your researches by the way?” Lucifer demanded short-tempered.

“Fine, as I promised”, Amenadiel nodded and laid his hand on his chest. “But take a note that I still don’t like you at the slightest.”

“I didn’t expect less from you” Lucifer smirked devilishly. “But I warn you just in case. If you ever pull this on me again, I’m going to get my vengeance and it’ll be bloody.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself just because of this defeat.” What a reminder.

With that said, Amenadiel brought him back. Unfortunately, his precision sucked badly as Lucifer noticed because he faced a shelf of a storeroom. Bloody Hell, how much precious time had he cost him already? As he tried to find his way back to the theater hall, a brand-new assumption about their odd reunion came to his mind. Perhaps this Hell-Break-In was connected to his current problematic case.

Someone has clearly searched for him down there and has stopped at nothing to find him, but he hadn’t been there anymore. Damn, this was indeed, highly concerning.

Lucifer felt relieved as he found Chloe and Trixie in the entrance hall. It seemed the play was already over. Chloe caught sight of him and wasn’t happy. Neither about his sudden disappearance nor about his reappearance out of the blue. However, Trixie was giddy with pleasure when she saw him.

“How was I? Did I play my part well?!”, she desperately wanted to know his opinion.

“Definitely more talented than some other kids,” Lucifer replied politely, squeezing her shoulder softly. Even though it had been hard for him to follow the plot of the play, he had nevertheless watched Trixie's parts as best as he could. “Well done, little human.” He’d never planned to let this energy ball explode but just in this moment happiness burst out of her as she heard his compliment. Lucifer clearly wasn’t in the mood to endure her outburst. With a sharp tone, he shut her up: “Oh dear, stop this already!”

“Monkey, everything is alright. Lucifer is just a bit stressed out” Chloe immediately came to the rescue to reduce the damage that he’d done to her perplexed child to a minimum. “Can we talk for a moment?” she addressed her concerns to him because yet again, a conflict significantly bothered Lucifer. However, he blocked. “Don’t ask.”

Chloe’s expressions didn’t give up demonstrating deep sympathy for him and he appreciated it as far as he eventually soften his tone. “I had a little unexpected chat with my brother but I don’t want to talk about it.” Although she was very intrigued, she forced herself to accept his answer. At least, for the moment. “Ok, let’s head home.”

 

**Chloe’s home**

Lucifer got out of the car. During this young night, he briefly surveyed the area as he walked around the car. Although the passenger door had already been pushed open, he politely took over this attempt and helped Trixie. Tired, taciturn and with lazy steps, she headed to their house. Chloe went after her and unlocked the door for her, so she was able to get ready for bed.

Lucifer followed. However, as he reached the door, Chloe bid him farewell: “Well…Thank you for everything. Have a nice evening and we’ll see us tomorrow."

“You already want to say goodbye?" Lucifer protested, and looked at her blankly, "Don’t you want to invite me for a wine or an early-night snack?"

“No”, she declined his brazen self-invitation. “Tomorrow I have to get up early and I assume that you still want to have fun in your club. You know, finally you can hook someone up," she sneered at what she was imagining.

“I don’t necessarily need sleep or sex,” he argued. “Fun is interpretable. Don’t be always the youngest old person who acts responsible. Let‘s liven up your boring home!”

“Whatever. Good night, Lucifer, “she said more emphatically, but he was persistent as Hell and she finally had to bring up some countermeasures. “Does this stubbornness still have something to do with your protector nonsense? Lucifer, please. You make it too obvious to everyone by sticking by my side 24/7.” He didn't take her words well. “Detective, please take me seriously. I can protect you better if we stay together” His words were almost imploring and his expression shifted.

Chloe suddenly felt terribly guilty because it was so vital to him.

“Lucifer, I ... I take you seriously,” she began thoughtful with the intent on making her point clear, “I take you very seriously indeed. I'm in danger because of your stalker. I get that. I understand your concerns and your urge to protect me. Nevertheless, have you ever thought about the fact that especially that might get him on my trail?” This different perspective instantly shudder his world and his mouth opened, as he wanted to refute this nonsense but there were no convincing arguments.

“Just try to think about it and best sleep on it”, she nodded insightful, smiled a last _Good Night_ goodbye and shut the door behind her.

For several minutes, he still stood there frozen in strong discomfort. Lucifer really hadn’t thought about it this way and now he was eagerly evaluating which approach was safer for her well-being. Leave her or stay? It was a too difficult choice to make and it got him slightly panicked. Why was it so complicated to decide all of the sudden? Truth be told, he didn’t want to leave her just like that. Damn, he was so confused. She completely took him by surprise.

Suddenly, a light was dimmed at one of the windows and he sneaked up to it out of curiosity. It was Trixie’s room. They both laid in bed and Chloe was reading her a bedtime story. This idyllic view was somewhat calming and fascinating.

After only a short period of time, the strange sensation of being watched overcame Chloe's feelings. While she was reading the last part of the book, she looked up suspiciously and discovered Lucifer behind the window to her surprise. _That can’t be for real!_ She really had thought that she got rid of him for this night but wrong! Chloe quickly rushed their family routine so that she could pick a bone with him.

“Creep”, she scolded him angrily with folded arms. “What are you still doing here?”

“I…” he wasn’t able to tell her why. Instead of avoiding the truth, he made an awkward approach. “I've just realized that I need a taxi call. We drove with your car all day long and I need to get home somehow. Well, or would you kindly let me stay for tonight?" of course his puppy eyes were begging for her mercy. “Please, I’ll be a good Devil for sure. You won’t even notice my presence.”

As if the taxi call wasn't a lousy excuse to stay anyway... He took it to the next level. It seemed that he had made up his mind long ago and nothing would stop him now. She on the other hand was crazy to let him wait outside and wander around her apartment like a lunatic the whole night long. In addition, it was freezing cold outside. “Ugh, very well”, she finally groaned. "You can stay." He was in such a relief that she'd said yes that it was irritating again. 

“You can sleep on the couch. Wait here. I’m going to bring you some bedding down”, Chloe constructed him to wait in her living room while she went upstairs. In her bedroom, she gathered sheets for Lucifer and went down the stairs again.

Why on earth has she tolerated his childish behaviour this far? She should be pissed and upset but no, instead, she found it cute somehow. It didn't make any sense. While she stuck in her thoughts, he suddenly took her by surprise.

On seeing Lucifer, she instantly rooted on the spot. Why? Well, Lucifer stood with his back to her and had just taken off his white shirt. There were these two massive scars on his shoulder blades that immediately and completely erupted her memories of the last time she had seen them. Dreadful and shameful, they defaced his smooth, soft skin. They were a lifelong burden and her bullet wound was nothing in comparison. Pity overwhelmed her, as she imagined the hellish pain that he had endured. Chloe felt the heat rushing to her face in this highly uncomfortable moment. The bedding just slipped out of her arms and he immediately turned to face her.

There she stood in her casual sleeping shorts with her long, beautiful legs and her toes which were burring themselves in the carpet. He slowly lifted his gaze up to her face, enjoying that permissive sight until her sorrowful, compassionate, soft facial expression killed his grin, as if she had just seen something very horrific. At that moment, he cursed his scars for they were creating her grief and showed him his vulnerability to her feelings.

 _Stop it_ , she thought and bit her lower lip, but it was impossible to take her eyes off him. She knew, he knew.

“I have bedding” she stammered over her embarrassing feelings, quickly picking up the bedding and walked straightforwardly over to the couch to lay it down. A pleasing body odor rose in her nose as she stood by his side and made everything ten times worse. “There you go”, she turned to him and managed to avoid revealing any more of her inner chaos. So, at least she thought.

Lucifer's eyes studied her in delight with a seductive smirk because he had noticed something else.

She knew, he knew.

It was not what it looked like. She immediately denied his strong guess with every fiber of her body. To her relief, his eyes went finally down to her small scar on her left shoulder.

“Does it still hurt?” He asked softly to slightly let her feel comfy again. Chloe crossed her arms and shyly put her hand over the scar. “Do your scars hurt?” she countered the question and Lucifer intuitively raised his hand to massage his shoulder. “Every now and then,” he replied.

Now they were both standing silently in the living room, staring at each other.

“Lucifer stop imagining I’m naked,” she said, suddenly breaking the silence. The look on his face said it all.

“I'm not doing anything” he replied innocently, tilting his head slightly.

“Well...”, his reply unsettled her. "Good night then, Lucifer!"


End file.
